With reference to FIG. 1, a fuselage 10 of a typical, modern prior art commercial aircraft includes a skin 12 that is wrapped around a structural frame 14. The structural frame 14 of a typical, modern prior art commercial aircraft includes a series of frame members, or frames, 16 that extend circumferentially around the inside of the skin 12. Prior art fuselages 10 also include a series of stringers 18 that extend longitudinally along the inside of the skin 12. Depending on the size of aircraft, the fuselage 10 may include more than 20, more than 50, more than 75, or even more than 100 stringers 18 that are spaced apart circumferentially around the inside of the skin 12. Some fuselages 10 may include window regions 20 defined by pairs of stringers 18 that may be spaced further apart than other adjacent pairs of stringers 18. Typically, at least one stringer 18 is positioned about every 3-18 degrees around the circumference of a fuselage 10. Typical spacing of stringers may be in the 100-300 millimeter range.
The skins 12 of prior art fuselages 10 typically are constructed of a single wall, or sheet, of material that is fastened to the structural frame 14. Historically, aluminum has been used to construct skins 12 and stringers 18, but more recently, skins 12 are being constructed of carbon fiber reinforced plastics that are formed into a single wall, or sheet, of material that wraps around structural frames 14. Similarly, aluminum historically was used to construct structural frames 14, but now carbon fiber reinforced plastics are being used to construct structural frames 14, as well.